Best Mythic

Ted Hughes is a prominent British poet known for his evocative explorations of nature, myth, and human experience. His work frequently draws upon ancient stories and landscapes to create powerful imagery. Hughes’s poetry, including the acclaimed Crow sequence, resonates particularly with readers int...

João Guimarães Rosa’s *The Devil to Pay in the Backlands* is a 20th-century Brazilian picaresque novel set in the harsh sertão region. The story follows a rustic gunman and his family as they navigate violence, myth, and social injustice. Its innovative use of language captures the rhythms and spir...

Rainer Maria Rilke’s *Sonnets to Orpheus* is a 1923 collection of fifty-five sonnets examining themes of death and artistic creation through the lens of Greek myth. The poems delve into the profound questions surrounding Orpheus's music, longing, and ultimately, his tragic fate. Primarily intended f...

Ovid was a prominent Roman poet living from 43 BCE to 17 CE. He is particularly renowned for *Metamorphoses*, an expansive Latin work exploring transformations in mythology. This collection details stories of gods, heroes, and mortals, profoundly influencing Western art, literature, and philosophica...

Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow is a 1970 poetry collection by British poet Ted Hughes. The book centers on the figure of Crow, a trickster character who survives a violent and flawed creation. Hughes uses this mythological framework to explore themes of violence, survival, and human natur...

The Mabinogion is a collection of medieval Welsh prose tales drawn from historical manuscripts such as the White Book of Rhydderch and the Red Book of Hergest. It comprises eleven interconnected stories, including the native Welsh myths of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi and early Arthurian romanc...

H.D.’s Trilogy, published between 1944 and 1946, is a significant poetry collection exploring themes of wartime experience and personal transformation. The work consists of three volumes examining the impact of the London Blitz alongside mythic and spiritual concerns. It’s notable for its modernist...

Louise Glück’s Averno examines themes of loss, memory, and the natural world through a reimagining of the Greek myth concerning Persephone's descent into the underworld. The collection is notable for its intensely personal lyric style and profound engagement with mythic narratives. It resonates part...

Louise Glück is a prominent American poet known for her intensely personal and often mythic lyric verse. Her work explores themes of grief, loss, and human relationships with remarkable clarity and precision. She received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2020 recognizing her significant contribution...

Christopher Okigbo (1929-1967) was a Nigerian poet recognized for his innovative lyric poetry and complex mythic structures. His work, particularly *Labyrinths*, explores themes of identity, history, and the human condition with a distinctly modernist style. He is most notably associated with the ar...

Helen in Egypt is a book-length modernist poem by the American-born poet H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), published in 1961. Drawing on Stesichorus' palinode and Euripides' Helen, the work reimagines Helen of Troy as having spent the Trojan War in Egypt rather than as the cause of the conflict. Structured as...

Louise Glück’s *Meadowlands*, published in 1996, explores themes of loss and connection through a collection of lyric poems. The work examines the complexities of marriage alongside echoes of Homer's *Odyssey*, presenting a modern mythic narrative. It is particularly relevant for readers interested...

The Hsinbyume Pagoda stands in Mingun, Myanmar as a significant historic landmark. Constructed in 1816 by Prince Bagyidaw, it’s a white stupa notable for its terraced design representing the Buddhist cosmos. This structure is primarily of interest to historians and those studying Burmese religious a...

On the precipice of a cataclysmic drought, the Star Readers of the Shin Yogo Empire must devise a plan to avoid widespread famine. It is written in ancient myths that the first emperor, along with eight warriors, slew a water demon to avoid a great drought and save the land that was to become Shin Y...

Company XIV’s Le Serpent Rouge presents a unique theatrical experience blending baroque aesthetics with contemporary burlesque performance. The production draws on mythic storytelling through evocative movement incorporating Middle Eastern dance traditions and classic vaudeville elements. It is prim...

Donika Kelly’s Bestiary is a 2016 poetry collection examining profound themes through the lens of mythic creatures. The work utilizes fantastical beasts—like griffins and sirens—to represent experiences of trauma, personal transformation, and the complexities of queer Black womanhood. It's notable f...

Tracy K. Smith’s *Duende* is a 2007 poetry collection examining profound themes through intensely personal lyricism. The work explores complex relationships between loss, memory, and American mythology. It's notable for its richly imagined imagery and emotional depth. *Duende* resonates with readers...

Nezha is a prominent figure in Chinese mythology originating from ancient folklore. He’s recognized as a youthful protector deity embodying strength and righteousness. Often depicted wielding powerful weapons like the Wind Fire Wheels and spear, Nezha confronts malevolent spirits and dragons. His st...

Chang'e and Hou Yi are central figures in ancient Chinese mythology, heavily associated with the origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival. According to legend, the archer Hou Yi shot down nine of the ten suns to save the Earth from scorching. His wife Chang'e subsequently swallowed an immortality elixir t...

Girls That Never Die is a 2024 poetry collection by Sudanese American poet Safia Elhillo that examines bodily autonomy, grief, and defiance in the face of patriarchal violence.

Joanna Newsom's 'Ys' is a sprawling, ambitious, and utterly unique folk opera. Newsoms intricate harp playing and fantastical lyrics create a world of myth and legend. The album's orchestral arrangements, meticulously layered, elevate the songs to a cinematic scale. 'Ys' demands patience and rewards...

Stymphalian Lake Wetland is a seasonal karst lake in Greece's Peloponnese, protected within the Natura 2000 network and linked to the myth of the Stymphalian birds.

In the Disabled Elderly Village, there live nine elderly people with unpredictable origins and the young man Qin Mu they raised. One day, the cows that Qin Mu was responsible for grazing began to speak human words. From then on, Qin Mu became more aware of the dangers and beauty of Daxu, a land aban...

The Wooing of Etain (Irish: Tochmarc Étaíne) is a tale from the Irish Mythological Cycle, preserved in several medieval manuscripts including the Book of the Dun Cow (Lebor na hUidre) and the Yellow Book of Lecan. The narrative centers on Étain, a woman of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who is transformed in...

Takahashi Mutsuo is a Japanese poet, essayist, and dramatist born in 1937. His extensive body of work draws on Japanese and Western classical traditions, mythology, modernist experimentation, eroticism, and openly expressed same-sex desire. He is significant to readers of contemporary Japanese liter...

Rebecca Roanhorse's 'The Black Sun' is a groundbreaking dark fantasy series inspired by pre-Columbian American cultures. Set in a world reminiscent of the 16th century, the series follows three characters a disgraced warrior, a young woman with prophetic abilities, and a ship captain as they navig...

Amiran is a mythic hero in Georgian folklore who is frequently compared to the Greek figure Prometheus. He is celebrated as a culture hero who taught humanity metalworking and was punished for defying the gods. As part of his punishment, Amiran was chained to a pillar in the Caucasus Mountains, wher...

Gintarou is a fox spirit that has been protecting the small Inari temple since the Edo era. Saeki Makoto's family possesses the power to see the gods' agent, but the ability is limited to one living relative at a time. When Makoto's mother passed away while she was still young, Makoto inherited the...

Conan Exiles is a multiplayer survival game set in a brutal Norse-inspired world based on the Conan the Barbarian stories. Players build bases, craft weapons and armor, and engage in combat within an expansive sandbox environment. It’s designed for players who enjoy challenging survival experiences...